[ad_1]
In “Arrival,” the Heptapods bring with them a simple but cryptic message that requires international unity to understand. At first, however, their words seem militant, sparking fear and paranoia among Earth’s armed forces. It’s that sense of distrust and anxiety that’s shared by the 1951 classic, “The Day the Earth Stood Still.” In it, the United States military believes that they have good reason to be nervous when a flying saucer lands in D.C., but one soldier overreacts when Klaatu speaks, firing on the humanoid alien. Naturally, that action has huge consequences.
Klaatu’s protector, Gort, is huge, silent, and forceful, disarming the military with a single sweep of his eye-beam. But this is only the beginning, and the rest of this story is about learning to have empathy for each other. Klaatu’s mission to urge humankind towards peace is a huge undertaking — today, it doesn’t feel like we’ve learned anything from his words. However, the movie ends on a hopeful note, reminding us that it’s not too late to try. Like “Arrival,” the answer is to put down our weapons and start seeing each other as people, not adversaries. Yeah, we’ve got a long way to go.
[ad_2]
Source link